Tire grooving machine



Jan. 14, 936. R. N. PENDLETON ET AL TIRE GROOVING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed April 46, 1952 f w, Z f z me W mmm ,Me/MJ W WW 4,5 J z 7. K 2,WW/kb- M Mm ,4- y#k W 4,/7 JJM/a Ml V| j 6 m .7 Z o ./.MU wwwa 9 ...-1-Wlil WHW.

' Jan. '14, 1936. R. N. PENDLETON Err AL 927,490

TIRE GROOVING MACHINE Filed April 6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ParenteelJan. 14, 1936 PATENT oFF! TIRE GRooviNo elle Ralph N. PendletonWorcester, Mass.,

ane'nolane n. Hodge. assignors, by mme assignments, to Victor M. Catok,New York,

Application April d, 1932, Serial No. 603,480

10 laims.

AThe present invention relates to tire grooving devices and particularlyto a device by which grooves may be cut in a worn automobile tire toreestablish a non-skid surface thereon.

The principal object ofl the4 present invention is to provide forforming grooves in the til'e'ad surface of a tire, said grooves havingany desired configuration. In this manner, the tread grooves may be madedeeper or, in case the en tire non-skid tread is worn away, any suitabletread design may be incorporated thereon. 'The invention furtherinvolves a gage member which prevents the grooves from being cut toodeep in the tire, and a novel cutter` with which the grooving may beeiected at a rapid rate without burning the tire. Other objects andadvantages o1 the invention will appear from the following descriptionin connection with the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a device embodying the invention. I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing .i certain of the parts of thedevice.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the carriage for the cutter, with theldrivingmotor removed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the cutter mounting. l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the cutter used.

Like reference characters refer to -like parts in the different gures.Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, a base l has anupwardly extending support 2 to the upper end of which a coupling 3 inthe form of a T is secured, said T carrying the mounting for the tire. Amember 4 extends horizontally from -the coupling 3 and has a horizontalrecess 5 in its outer end for the reception of a shaft 6 on which auniversal chuck 'l is suitably journaled. Said chuck has the usualplurality of radially movable jaws 2, and each of said jaws carries asection l0 of an automobile rim for engagement with the beads of a tireH, said jaws and rim supporting said tire Il for rotation about itsaxis. The back of the chuck l is provided with an index plate l2 withwhich a spring actuated plunger I3 is arranged to engage to permitindexing of said chuck through predetermined angles. The plunger iscarried on a rod i4 extending through and adjustable in the member 4,said rod being held in adjusted position by a set screw I5. A brakemember I6, for preventing undesired ro- (Cl. gil-16) tation of the chuckl, is urged into engagement with the plate l2 by springs ll, said brakemember it being slidable between parallel lugs it on the end of the rodIl remote from the plunger lil. lin cutting circumferential grooves, gthe plunger l2 is'locked lout of engagement with the plate l2 by a setscrew itl.

The upwardly extending support 2 is hollow and receives the lower end ofa vertical standard 2t, the latter being raised or lowered by a m pilotwheel 2l engaging the upper end of the coupling 2, said pilot wheelhaving a threaded bore which engages with the threaded lower end 22 ofthe standard 22. The upper end of the standard 2li is provided with aT-shamd oou-s w pling 23 having a horizontal bore 2d for the ree ceptionof a horizontal shaft 2b on the outer end ol which the .www 2t for ffm;

a cutter 2l! is mounted. The horizontal shaft 25 is provided with a.rack 2t, and a pinion 2d 1i-.s secured to a shaft 30 in the coupling 23is in. engagement with said rack. The shaft 3d car1 ries on the forwardend thereof a cra 2t by which said pinion is rotated for movement of theshaft 25 through-said coupling 22 toV pronu vide for adjustment of thecutter 2l in a direction parallel to the axis of the tire. The shaft 2lils locked in adjusted position by a clamping bolt 3l, turning movementof which operates to tighten the left hand split end 22 to of thecoupling 23 around said shaft 25, and .the bolt 3l preferably carries a.projecting arm 33 by which said bolt -is tightened. The shaft 25 extendsin substantially parallel relation to the axis of the chuck l, as willbe apparent from p5 Fig. 1, said shaft 25 being held in desired angularrelation to said chuck by a key 2Min the coupling 2, said key engaging akey-way, not shown;,. in the vertical standard 2t.

As above stated, the cutter 2l and the supporting mechanism 26 iscarried on the end oi the shaft 25. As shown, a member 25 on the end ofthe shaft 25'has a vertical bore 36 for the reception of a verticalshaft 2l, the latter carrying von its upper end a circular disk 22 45engaging a corresponding disk 39 secured to the member 35, 'the shaft 3lbeingl maintained in the bore 36 by a nut 42 on the upper end of saidshaft. The disk .38 carries graduations M cooperating with an indicationon the disk 39 to indicate the 'angular adjustment of the shaft 3lrelative to the member 35 and accordingly the angular relation of thecutter 2l to the axis of the tire. The shaft 31 is held in adjustedposition by a frictional member 42 secured in an 55 annular recess 43 inthe disk 39 and engaging the under side of the disk 38, the latter beingrecessed at 44 to receive said strip. The weight of the mechanism 26provides frictional contact between the disk 38 and said strip 42.

A frame work, comprising parallel horizontal rods 45 connected atopposite ends by connecting members 45, see Fig. 4, is secured to thelower end of the shaft 31 by bolts 41 extending through a horizontalmember 48 integral with the lower end of the shaft 31. Said member 45 isarcuate in cross-section to receive the upper ci said rods 45, and saidbolts 41 extend through said member 48 into engagement with said rod.

A carriage 49, on which the cutter 21 is mounted, is arranged forhorizontal movement on said rods 45. Referring to Fig. e, the carriage49 is provided with spaced pairs of grooved l rolls 50; the upper pairof said rolls engages the upper of the rods 45 on and the lower pair ofrolls 56 side of the lower rod 45. Said rolls 50 are mounted forrotation on bolts 5| extending through the carriage 49, with the rods.45engaging the grooves in the rolls. Inthis manner, the carriage issupported for movement on said rods 45, said movement beinglimited byadinstable members 52 carried on a bar 53 extending between and securedto the connecting members 46. The members 52 are adjustable along thebar 53 and are locked in adjusted position by set screws 54 which engagesaid bar 53. Thumb screws 55 in the members 52 are adjustable therein,and the ends of said thumb screws engage rubber tips 56 on a lug 51 onthe carriage 49, said tips 56 acting as resilient bumpers for thecarriage 49A during the movement of said carriage on the rods 45, saidmembers 52 with the thumb screws therein constituting adjustable stopsfor said carriage.

The carriage 49 has a depending portion 5B provided with a verticalrecess 59 for the reception of a member 60 vertically movable withinsaid recess, said depending portion having a set screw 6| for lockingsaid member 60 in position. The lower end of the member 60 provides ahub 92 to receive a housing 63, the latter providing a bearing for therotary cutter shaft 64. The shaft 64 carries the cutter 21 on the righthand end thereof,v said cutter being secured in position by a nut 65which engages the threaded end of the shaft 64, thereby permittingreplacement of the cutter when desired. A shield 66, /which is carriedby brackets 61- secured to the 'hub 6|, extends over the upper half ofthe .cutter to shield the operator from dust during the operation of themachine.

The cutter 21 is prevented from cutting too deeply into the periphery ofthe tire bya gage member 68 adjustable on the member 69. Said gagemember 68 comprises an outerball bearing race 10 which is engageablewith the surface of engages the upper the tire to be cut and an innerrace 1| supported in proper adjusted position by a thumb screw 12extending through a slot 13 in the -member 60 and threadedly engaging abracket1rforming an integral extension of the inner race 1|. The outerrace 10 is rotatably supported on the inner race 1| by a series of balls15 and thus, as the cutter and gage are brought into engagement with thesurface of a tire to be grooved, said outer race 10 may rotate as thecutter is moved relative to the tire but is maintained in desiredrelation by the inner race 1|.

The drive for the cutter 21 is from an electric the under side thereofmotor 16 secured -to an upwardly projecting portion 11 of the carriage49, said motor being mounted with the projecting end of the drive shaft18 depending vertically. ,A connecting member 19 is secured to the endof said shaft 18 and the lower end of said member 19 is provided with. avertical recess 8D for the reception of a shaft 8|. The latterisvertically slidable within said recess .but is held against rotationrelative to the member 19 by a key 82 which engages a key-way, member19. The lower end of the shaft 8| is connected by a universal joint 83to a vertical shaft 84 journaled in the housing 63, said shaft 84carrying on the lower end thereof a bevel gear 85 located within thehousing. The gear 85 is arranged to engage a bevel gear 86 secured tothe left hand end of the cutter shaft 63, thereby procuring rotation ofthe cutter 21'in response to-rotation of the motor 16. The housing 63carries a handle 81 by which vthe cutter 21 is moved into andout ofengagement with the tire to be cut. The vertical sliding movement of theshaft 8i in the member 19 and the vertical sliding movement of thedmember 60 in the vertical recess 59 permit vertical movement of thecutter 21` relative to the. carriage during the passage of the cutterover the surface of the tire, to compensate for the curvature of saidtire or for inequalities in the surface thereof. Said cutter ismaintained in proper relation to the tire by the carriage since themember 60 is rectangular in cross section and engages the rectangularrecess 59, the latter having a cover plate 88 to support said member 60against turning movement within said recess.

The cutter 21 by which the tire is grooved has a construction which cutsthe tire material rapidly without burning said tire and at the same timeleaves a smooth surface. Referring to Fig. 6, the cutter comprises adisk of abrasive material, said disk having an opening 89 in the centerthereof for mounting said cutter. on the shaft 64. The periphery 90 ofthe cutter is provided with spaced notches 9| dening cutting teeth 92between said notches. Each of said teeth 92 has a forward cutting face93 which is approximately radial, said face being preferably cut backslightly from the true radial direction for a better cutting action, andthe outer surface 94 of the tooth, comprising a portion of the periphery90, is arcuate and concentric to the axis of the cutter 21, therebyproviding for an abrading action on the material being cut. The cuttingface 93 of each tooth is cut back on a plane which is angularly relatedto the axis of the cutter to define a forward cutting edge which iscoextensve with the plane defined by one side of said disk. The planesdefined by successive teeth are angularly related to each other so thatthe forward cutting edges of successive teeth are coextensive withopposite sides of said disk, thereby providing an action similar to theaction of a saw-blade as said cutter rotates. It will be noted that thecutter in operation first gouges out a portion of the material being cutby the action of the cutting edge 95 and face 93. and then an abradingaction takes place on said material as the outer surface 94 of eachtooth passes over the material. Between successive cutting and abradingoperations, the material being cut is allowed to cool by reason of thenotches formed in the wheel, said notches functioning as fans to .carryair over the cut surface. Such operations obviously take effect notshown, formed in said4 in very rapid succession during the rotation ofthe cutter, thereby providing the desired cutting action above notedwithout injury to the material being cut.

In the operation of the machine, the tire Il is mounted on the chuck 1in the position shown. In cutting circumferential grooves in the tire,the members 52 are adjusted to prevent movement of the carriage 49 onthe rods 45 and the cutter 21 is adjusted into the plane of the tire byrotation of the shaft 31 and the mechanism secured thereto within themember 35. The location of 'the groove to be vcut in the tire is thendetermined by adjustment of the shaft through the coupling 23 by turningmovement of the pinion 29 by the crank 30'. The cutter having beenproperly located, the gage member 68 is set to determine the depth towhich the grooves will be cut. After the adjustments are completed thescrew 6I, which supports the member 6|) in inoperative position, isloosened, and the cutter is brought into cutting relation to the tire bydownward pressure on the handle 81. The tire is then rotated manuallyfor cutting the circumferential groove, the plunger I3 being locked ininoperative position by the set screw I9.

In cutting transverse grooves across the surface of the tire, the cutteris rotated to the desired angular position by rotation of the shaft 31in the member 35, the frictional member 42 retaining the mechanism 26 inthe desired angular position which is indicated by the graduations 4I onthe disk 38, and the stop members 52 are spaced apart a distancecorresponding to the length of the groove to be cut. The gage memy ber68 now being adjusted for the desired depth of cut, the cutter isbrought into cutting relation to the tire by downward pressure on thehandle 81 and is moved transversely across the tire by movement of thecarriage along the rods 45. The cutter is free to move vertically bysliding movement of the member 60 in the recess 59 and "also by slidingmovement of the shaft 80 in `the member 18, so that the cutter remainsin engagement with the tire during the movement of `the carriage tocarry said cutter over the tire. During the cutting of transversegrooves, the tire is held against rotation by engagement of the plungerI3 with the indexing I plate I2. After one transverse groove has beencut, the tire is indexed through the desired angle by the indexing plateand plunger and a second groove is cut. It will be noted that the stopmembers 52 permit the 'length of the groove to be accurately determinedand the indexing plate permits accurate angular movement of the tirebetween successive grooves so that the grooves will all be uniformlyspaced apart. It will be noted that the machine thus supports the cutterin desired relation to the tire for cutting grooves in the tread thereofin any angular relation to the plane oi. the tire, and that the lengthof the groove cut is accurately determined by the members 52. Thecutter, the axis of which is always in a plane parallel to the axis ofthe tire is universally adjustable in that plane to position the cutterin the desired relation to the tire surface.

We claim,

1. In a device of the character described,` a base, an index chuck onsaid base. for supporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means forsupporting said guideways on said base and providing for vertical andhorizontal adjustment of said guideways relative to the chuck, acarriage movable on said guideways, a cutter, and means for supportingsaid cutter on said carriage for movement therewith as the latter ismoved on the guideways. s

2. In a device ofthe class described, a base, a rotary support on saidbase for supporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means for supportingsaid guideways on said base and providing for vertical and horizontaladjustment of said guideways relative to the rotary support, a carriagemovable on said guideways, a cutter, means for supporting said cutter onsaid carriage for movement therewith as the latter is moved on theguideways, and means providing for vertical sliding movement of saidcutter on said carriage.

3. In a device of the class described, a base, a rotary support on saidbase for supporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means for supportingsaid guideways on said base and providing for vertical and horizontaladjustment of said guideways relative to said support, a carriagemovable on said guideways, a cutter, and means for supporting saidcutter on said carriage for movement therewith as the latter is moved onthe guideways, said cutter being vertically slidable on said carriage,and gage means adjustable relative to the periphery'of the cutter tolimit the depth of the cut made by said cutter.

4. In a device of the class described, a base, a rotary support on saidbase for supporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means for supportingsaid guideways on said base and providing for horizontal adjustment ofsaid guideways relative to the support, a carriage movable on saidguideways, a cutter, means for supporting said cutter on said carriagefor movement therewith as the latter is moved on the guideways, andmeans providing for vertical sliding movement of said cutter on saidcarriage.

5. In a device of the class described, a base, a rotary support on saidbase for supporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means on said base forsupporting said guideways and providing for vertical and horizontaladjustments of said guideways relative to said support, said guidewaysbeing .mounted for angular adjustment i about a vertical axis, acarriage movable on said guideways, a cutter, and means for supportingsaid cutter on said carriage for movement therewith as the latter ismoved on the guideways.

6. In a device of the class described, a base, a rotary support on saidbase forsupporting a tire, horizontal guideways, means on said base forsupporting said guideways and providing for vertical and horizontaladjustments of said guideways relative to said support, said guidewaysbeing mounted for angular adjustment about an axis perpendicular to theaxis of the rotary support, means for securing said guideways inadjusted position, a carriage movable on said guideways, a cutter, andmeans for supporting said cutter on said carriage for movement therewithas the latter is moved on the guideways.

7. In a device of `the class described, a base, a rotary support for atire, guideways, means for supporting said guideways on said 'base andproviding for vertical and horizontal adjustment of said guidewaysrelative to said support, a carriage movable on said guideways in aplane parallel to the axis of said rotary support, a cutter, and meansfor supporting said cutter on said carriage with the axis thereof in aplane substantially parallel to a plane dened by the axis of said rotarysupport, said cutter being movable with said carriage as the latter ismoved on the guideways, and said cutter being movable relative to saidcarriage perpendicularly to the line of movement of said carriage.

8. In a machine for grooving the tread surface of tires, a base, a chuckon said base for supporting a tire, a cutter, a holder for said cutter,means for supporting said holder on said base and providing for verticaland horizontal adjustment of said holder relative to the chuck, saidholder supporting said cutter in a position to engage the tread of thetire, and means to provide for angular adjustment of the cutter about avertical axis, said cutter being vertically slidable to accommodate saidcutter to inequalities in the tread surface, in the tire.

9. In a machine for grooving the tread surface of tires, a base, a chuckon said base for supporting a tire, a cutter, a carriage for saidcutter, horizontal guideways on which said carriage is movable, meansfor supporting said guideways on said base and providing for verticaladjustment oi said guideways relative to the chuck and for angularadjustment o1' said guideways about a vertical axis, and means toprovide for a vertical sliding movement of said cutter independently ofthe vertical adjustment to accommodate said cutter to inequalities inthe tire.

10. In a device of the character described, a base, means for rotatablysupporting a tire on said base, a transverse guide, means for supportingsaid guide on said base and providing for vertical and horizontaladjustment of said guide, a carriage movable on said guide, a cutter,and means for supporting said cutter on said carriage for movementtherewith as the latter is moved on the guide.

